Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, September 20, 2010
The fabulous 2 week wedding blur.....!
Ok my lovelies (am borrowing this word from Patty :-)...I am back, physically that is! I am happy, tired, exhausted and a mother-in-law! My mental state is still shrouded in a jet lag cloud...so am not thinking very clearly let alone blogging, but thought I should let you all know that I am back from a wonderful whirlwind vacation! It was one party after another....DC, then Seattle, then San Jose...non stop fun, food and frolic! We are still waiting for the official wedding photographer's pics, but I think I have enough here to give you all a sneak peek of what happened the 1st thru the 14th of September!
We arrived at JFK on the 1st, and spent a couple of days with my bro-in-law at Princeton. I was in a fog so all I remember of those 2 days was imbibing large quantities of food and wine and staying up late talking....! We took the train to DC on the 3rd, and while my husband slept all day with my son's dog curled up beside him, my son Gautam and I ran around madly finishing details for the wedding on the 5th.
4th Sept: Family bowling party at the White House Bowling Alley, yes, it helps to have a son working at the Pentagon! Waiting to get inside.....serious security clearance and all that!
5th Sept: Wedding at the Newseum. My son Gautam is to the left of the pic, his partner Andy to the right and their friend Parag, who was emcee, in the middle. You can see a wee bit of my orange sari to the right.....!
All in all it was such a memorable trip...if I have one regret it is that I never got to meet Anu of My Dream Canvas, Priya of OUATT like I had planned, and I forgot to call Patty of Colors Dekor form Dubai airport....the duty free shopping completely engrossed me! I will have more detailed pictures and descriptions to follow soon! Its so good to be back in blogland!
We arrived at JFK on the 1st, and spent a couple of days with my bro-in-law at Princeton. I was in a fog so all I remember of those 2 days was imbibing large quantities of food and wine and staying up late talking....! We took the train to DC on the 3rd, and while my husband slept all day with my son's dog curled up beside him, my son Gautam and I ran around madly finishing details for the wedding on the 5th.
4th Sept: Family bowling party at the White House Bowling Alley, yes, it helps to have a son working at the Pentagon! Waiting to get inside.....serious security clearance and all that!
The same place where Obama goes bowling...in fact his bowling shoes were there too!
My fav pic
Yes, their beagle dog Penny was the ring bearer! She trotted in with a pink ribbon around her collar with the rings attached to them after the incredibly moving ceremony...at which point I was crying buckets and buckets!
Bangle centerpieces which became.....
take away goodies for the gals.....
9th September: Trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle...for old times sake!
September 10th: Reception in Seattle at my friend Krupa's house, going for the Mediterranean cabana look to gel with the food....it was Lebanese food...baba ghanouj, pita bread, cous cous, hummus, baklava.....
View of Lake Sammamish and the mountains
The caterers....and moi!
Drinks and dessert table
11th September: Party at cousin's place in Los Altos
My son, my cousin's wife, my son-in-law's mom Nancy, and me..I have no idea what I was gazing up at!
September 12th: Reception at my brother's place....whats a party without wine???
My fabulous son-in-law andy and his mom...all decked out Indian style!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Last minute packing frenzy......!
Ok so this is it....tomorrow this time I will be on my way to New York, and then on to DC for The Big Day...my son's wedding on the 5th of September, followed by a reception in Seattle and one in San Jose!! I am so excited, I am bursting out of my seams!!! Its been a chaotic week, to say the least....things always come down to the last minute no matter how much you organize and intend to get it all done ahead of time. For me anyway, I need the pressure of the last minute to get me moving!
I will be off the blog radar for a while, but hope to make up for it with gusto after I get back, with my new computer at my new blogging station. I will be reading YOUR blogs though...have to stay abreast of that! I am especially excited because I am hoping to meet Anu of My Dream Canvas in Seattle, and Priya of OUATT in San Jose! So wonderful to meet two people who were my very early inspirations to start blogging!
Here are some last minute shots taken over the past 2 days....the utter madness of packing for an overseas trip, and a wedding to boot!!!
I will be off the blog radar for a while, but hope to make up for it with gusto after I get back, with my new computer at my new blogging station. I will be reading YOUR blogs though...have to stay abreast of that! I am especially excited because I am hoping to meet Anu of My Dream Canvas in Seattle, and Priya of OUATT in San Jose! So wonderful to meet two people who were my very early inspirations to start blogging!
Here are some last minute shots taken over the past 2 days....the utter madness of packing for an overseas trip, and a wedding to boot!!!
Bearing gifts for all....
Trying to decide what jewellery to take....
Bangles galore....
And more....
And more...
Lucy trying to sabotage my packing
Aided and abetted by Junglee....
Travel documents
Medical insurance papers
Snacks, useful sustenance during those long layovers....
See you all back here on the 17th or 18th....as soon as I get over jet lag, I'll be blogging again! In the meantime, have a fabulous awesome September all of you!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My love affair with Morocco!
Morocco continues to beckon us bloggers and I am no exception! This is not my first and I guarantee, it will not be my last post on this exotic country! The rich colors, the blue sky, the ochre-colored sand and red-tinged mountains, the hospitality, the clamor of the fish markets and the silence of the inner courtyards all continue to hold their spell on us. And of all the cities, Marrakech seems to be the most fascinating! It is no secret that Marrakech is shopping heaven – crafts of every kind are there for the bartering in this timewarp city, almost unchanged for the last four hundred years - superb ethnic jewellery, rugs, spices, leathergoods, metalwork, camphor wood backgammon and chess sets, bizarre musical instruments, hubble bubbles, truly vile perfumes, dried hedgehogs – you’ll find them all in the souks. You can be pampered, have a massage, visit a hammam if you are brave, wander Yves St. Laurent’s fabulous garden, eat out in Djemaa el Fna for pennies, explore quaint museums and magnificent ruins, hire a car and be driven to the mountains or the sea, or just relax in this quiet hidden haven in the heart of the old Medina
Westerners are enthralled by Morocco all and more and more of them vacationing there have succumbed to its charms. Take writer Miranda Innes, who renovated a large, 200-year-old riad in 2001 and called it Riad Maizie! This is what she says about it...."I did not mean to buy a palace. I was on a routine shopping trip in Marrakech's medina with writer Maggie Perry when we passed the estate agent from which she bought her town house, or riad. I suggested we might just have a look. Once through those heavy wooden doors there was no going back and a serious shopping moment later, I was the stunned owner of a 19th century riad. Well, it was not quite so instantaneous, but it was a definite case of love at first sight." Six months and $94,000 later she proudly opened Riad Maizie! The whole drama filled process is described in her book "Cinnamon City".
My short 3 day stay in Tangiers in the spring of 2008 convinced me that I have to go back for a longer stay and vist more of Morocco. That day cannot come soon enough and when it does come, I want to stay at the Riad Maizie. It is not one of those horrendously outrageously expensive places to stay, its very affordable, but every inch of every surface is embellished - the house is a sampler of traditional Marakchi decoration techniques, with tadelakt, mousharabi, Gibb’s frieze, doors painted in traditional Arabic and Berber style, intricately painted wooden ceilings and zellig fessi. Wherever possible they have retained the quirky hand-made original features – huge double doors with massive bolts, carved wooden shutters and elaborate wrought metal grilles. Prints and paintings adorn the walls, and an array of gorgeous locally-made rugs decorate the cool, tiled floors. The heavy cedar front door opens into a plant-filled courtyard with two fountains prettily carpeted with rose petals.
Westerners are enthralled by Morocco all and more and more of them vacationing there have succumbed to its charms. Take writer Miranda Innes, who renovated a large, 200-year-old riad in 2001 and called it Riad Maizie! This is what she says about it...."I did not mean to buy a palace. I was on a routine shopping trip in Marrakech's medina with writer Maggie Perry when we passed the estate agent from which she bought her town house, or riad. I suggested we might just have a look. Once through those heavy wooden doors there was no going back and a serious shopping moment later, I was the stunned owner of a 19th century riad. Well, it was not quite so instantaneous, but it was a definite case of love at first sight." Six months and $94,000 later she proudly opened Riad Maizie! The whole drama filled process is described in her book "Cinnamon City".
My short 3 day stay in Tangiers in the spring of 2008 convinced me that I have to go back for a longer stay and vist more of Morocco. That day cannot come soon enough and when it does come, I want to stay at the Riad Maizie. It is not one of those horrendously outrageously expensive places to stay, its very affordable, but every inch of every surface is embellished - the house is a sampler of traditional Marakchi decoration techniques, with tadelakt, mousharabi, Gibb’s frieze, doors painted in traditional Arabic and Berber style, intricately painted wooden ceilings and zellig fessi. Wherever possible they have retained the quirky hand-made original features – huge double doors with massive bolts, carved wooden shutters and elaborate wrought metal grilles. Prints and paintings adorn the walls, and an array of gorgeous locally-made rugs decorate the cool, tiled floors. The heavy cedar front door opens into a plant-filled courtyard with two fountains prettily carpeted with rose petals.
So if you ever go to Marrakech, this is how you get to Riad Maizie!
Monday, August 2, 2010
A postcard from Paris!
I was having a perfectly crummy day - you know the kind when everything seems to go wrong...woke up with a lousy headache (even tho I suspect it was some food I ate last night), incessant disturbances all morning, door bells, phone calls, one thing after another, wanted to start gift wrapping, could not find the tape etc etc - well all in all it was going horribly UNTIL.....I got a postcard in the mail from my niece studying this summer in Paris! What is it about getting a postcard that brightens up your day IMMEDIATELY???? And that too from a far away romantic place like Paris!!!
We had been chatting online a few days earlier and I had told her my favorite place in Paris (when I visited wayyy back in 2000 for my 20th wedding anniv.) was the Cathedral at Notre Dame and she had sweetly picked a postcard with that to send to me! Well when I saw it all the wonderful memories of that Paris trip came flooding back and I quickly pulled out my album and looked at all the pics we had taken back then! I even pulled out 2 prints of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe that had been sitting inside...so now I have a Paris collage in my studio!
Well, needless to say my day cheered up considerably....! Thanks Mallika!
We had been chatting online a few days earlier and I had told her my favorite place in Paris (when I visited wayyy back in 2000 for my 20th wedding anniv.) was the Cathedral at Notre Dame and she had sweetly picked a postcard with that to send to me! Well when I saw it all the wonderful memories of that Paris trip came flooding back and I quickly pulled out my album and looked at all the pics we had taken back then! I even pulled out 2 prints of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe that had been sitting inside...so now I have a Paris collage in my studio!
Well, needless to say my day cheered up considerably....! Thanks Mallika!
And here she is....my 21 year old niece Mallika!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Travel - The Dune at Puducherry
Ever long for a holiday from which you come back refreshed, like getting soaked in the gentle rain in a heated desert? Then head to The Dune at Puducherry.....a sprawling eco-village set on 35 acres along the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu. This resort will take you right into the heart of nature for a fantastic experience like no other. The Dune cherishes the spirit "to live in harmony with nature and men". For ages, swamis (Holy Men) from the nearby temples of Mahabalipuram used this scenic beach reserve as a place of pilgrimage and meditation. It features a generous organic garden, a 700m long sand beach, and all that is necessary to take care of the body and soul according to traditional Ayuvreda’s rites. It also has an Artists In Residence program providing work studios for artists from all over the world! I know I'd be terribly inspired to paint if I was there!!
Each of the 36 bungalows and bedrooms presents a unique architecture, style and decoration for a particular experience. The result is surprising, sometimes eccentric, in a zen and green environment
The hotel is fully committed to preserving the environment. As an example, recycled material from South Indian colonial houses, Chettinad palaces and Kerala planter’s mansions was used for a significant part of the building. The hotel also chose not to equip all bungalows with air conditioning (but there is always a refreshing sea breeze). Solar energy, low energy consumption light bulbs, and waste water treatment complete this ecologic commitment.
Fusing modern and traditional architecture, the hotel's cottages are done up in different styles ranging from plush Regency to vibrant Carribean! The vibrant use of colors in and outside the cottages will force you to forget your stress and relax. The rooms full of genuine antiques, statues, idols, chairs, tables, stone pillars, and carved doors have made the interiors charming and serene. Bright blue and hot yellow textures on glasses and walls energise the mind and soul.
Each of the 36 bungalows and bedrooms presents a unique architecture, style and decoration for a particular experience. The result is surprising, sometimes eccentric, in a zen and green environment
The hotel is fully committed to preserving the environment. As an example, recycled material from South Indian colonial houses, Chettinad palaces and Kerala planter’s mansions was used for a significant part of the building. The hotel also chose not to equip all bungalows with air conditioning (but there is always a refreshing sea breeze). Solar energy, low energy consumption light bulbs, and waste water treatment complete this ecologic commitment.
Fusing modern and traditional architecture, the hotel's cottages are done up in different styles ranging from plush Regency to vibrant Carribean! The vibrant use of colors in and outside the cottages will force you to forget your stress and relax. The rooms full of genuine antiques, statues, idols, chairs, tables, stone pillars, and carved doors have made the interiors charming and serene. Bright blue and hot yellow textures on glasses and walls energise the mind and soul.
If I was going there I would have a hard time deciding which room to stay in. Would it be the Kerela Room with its wood beams and rafters reaching out to my Kerela roots? Or the Nawabi rooms reminiscent of the Hyderabad I live in? Or the Mud Room for its eco friendly nature? Or the Family House with is infusion of raw earthy colors that I adore???? Or then again maybe the Bangle Room because it is so much like my bedroom??? Hmmm..how about you?
Here are some images of the resort:
Here are some images of the resort:
The Artist's studio
Artist's studio
The Artists Studio
The Bamboo Room
Inside the Bamboo Room
The Bangle Room
The Baywatch House 1
The Courtyard House
Artists studio 2
The Courtyard House
The Family House
The Family House and garden
The bath - yes, the bath
The Garden Room
The Garden suite
The Karaikudi suite
The Kerala House
The Kerala House
The Sambu House
The Wood House
Inside the Wood House
The Nawabi Room
The Nawabi Room
Images via various media resources.
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